One of the biggest questions going into the offseason for the Los Angeles Lakers was the future of LeBron James. After eight years with the franchise, James was set to hit unrestricted free agency this summer and whether or not he would return was unclear.
James would inform the Lakers on the eve of free agency that he wouldn’t be returning and many were surprised to hear the news. But Lakers rookie Cameron Carr was so focused on preparing for Summer League that he didn’t even realize he would not be teaming up with the all-time great, via Khobi Price of the California Post:
“In all honesty, [I] was probably thinking more about how this was going to go,” Carr told the Post. “Me and my [summer league] teammates, I wasn’t really caught up in the moment of everything going on. Just to be present and be engaged with what’s going on, especially with this team. Got a lot of older guys, things can pass by really fast. And so I was just trying to be in the moment and learn as much as I can and don’t get taken away from outside distractions of what’s going on.”
It seems hard to believe that Carr was so locked in that he didn’t realize James wouldn’t be returning to the Lakers. But the rookie was focused on making a strong impression at the California Classic and learning as much as he could from his teammates and the coaching staff.
The mindset paid off as Carr shined in his first Summer League appearances. The guard led the Lakers with 19 points in his debut, knocking down 5-of-11 from 3-point range. He would then follow that up with 26 points and eight rebounds in the Lakers’ second contest, hitting another four 3-pointers in that game.
It is a shame that Carr won’t be able to team with James as the rookie mentioned how much he was looking forward to learning from him. But he is looking to make an impact for the Lakers more than anything else and starring in Summer League is his first step in that.
Lakers rookie Cameron Carr maintains strong relationship with Dalton Knecht
Carr does have one familiar face on the Lakers roster that he can go to in third-year guard Dalton Knecht. The two were teammates at the University of Tennessee and the rookie admitted to maintaining a strong relationship with him to this day.
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